George Springer calmly placed two bats inside his travel bag, untucked his bright-orange undershirt and sat on a bench at the far left end of the Astros’ locker room.

Then general manager Jeff Luhnow walked by. The man charged with the largest rebuilding project in baseball was beaming. Luhnow lightly touched Springer’s arm, said a few kind words and delivered the biggest message of Springer’s young career: Nice job, kid. Really nice job.

With two powerful strokes Wednesday, Springer gave the Astros the most positive reinforcement the struggling organization has received since first-year manager Bo Porter kicked down the front door several months ago.

Springer blasted a three-run homer to deep right-center field in the fourth inning of the Astros’ 10-1 win over Toronto. His second shot was a monster and even more big league-like.

After falling behind 0-2 when fooled on the second strike by a breaking pitch, the 23-year-old Springer told his brain to slow down. Then, with his hands lightly waving and his back slightly bent, the No. 11 pick of the 2011 amateur draft delivered on his promise.